Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced her state would provide more than $1.2 billion over four years for municipal transportation projects.
The legislation, Chapter 90, proposes authorization for $300 million each year for critical transportation and infrastructure projects across the state. The proposal preserves the 50 percent increase Healey established last year. Healey also announced she is launching a new program that would leverage Fair Share revenue to expand borrowing capacity. The Funding for Accelerated Infrastructure Repair (FAIR) will help municipalities work through their backlog of municipal bridges in need of repair. The investment is possible because of the expansion of the Commonwealth Transportation Fund through Healey’s $8 billion transportation plan.
“We know that cities and towns are struggling with their budgets due to high costs and disruption from the Trump Administration,” Healey said. “That’s why we’re continuing to deliver record levels of local aid, so that our municipal leaders can upgrade their roads and bridges, make sure every child is getting a high-quality education, support our veterans and deliver other critical services that people rely on. We have launched a new program to speed up repairs on municipal bridges so that construction gets done faster and cheaper, and traffic can get moving again.”
The FAIR program will be used to reopen closed bridges, remove restrictions on some bridges and preserve additional bridges from falling into disrepair. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said it is currently advancing projects in Franklin, Hampden, Berkshire, and Hampshire counties in Western Massachusetts, with additional locations across to state to come.
The governor also announced that her FY27 budget will propose a 4.4 percent increase in local aid, totaling more than $10.3 billion.
This program fills that critical gap. It allows us to move quickly, reopen closed structures, and prevent further deterioration before it becomes more costly to repair and disruptive to the community,” Interim MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said. “As we begin these construction activities, we look forward to working with our municipal partners and stakeholders to provide much-needed support.”